Previews

Halo 2 Multiplayer Hands-On

The guys from Bungie finished up the presentation by talking a little bit about the game's voice chat system. There are two different options for chatting during the game, and you can toggle between them using the white button on your controller. If you speak normally into your microphone, anyone within earshot will be able to hear you, whether they're friend or foes. Called proximity voice, it allows to you talk smack to dead foes, or try to divert the attention of living enemies. In a nice touch, after an enemies eats your lead, they'll be able to hear for a few more moments, so you can be sure that they'll hear your taunts. If you hold the white button down and speak, you will only be heard by your teammates, so you can relay info of enemy positions or call for backup.

With that, we were instructed to sit down and get ready for Halo 2. Finally, the moment I had been waiting for since I got my first taste at this year's E3. We were instructed to set up a profile, similar to what you'd set up in the original game. The big difference came in choosing your suit colors and logo. While the last game had a narrow selection of armor colors, you can now choose different colors for the main and secondary areas, as well as two highlight areas. There are a crazy amount of colors to choose from, too, so there's a good chance that no two Spartans will look the same. If you're in a clan, though, it's easy to coordinate colors, and you get to make a team logo. Logo creation is as simple as picking a logo (flaming ninjas, skulls, flags, etc.) and a background pattern, then choosing colors for each. After everyone was set up and ready to go, the games finally got underway. Let's start with the new maps.

Sure, Zanzibar's Great, But...

If you're reading this article, you've probably seen videos of multiplayer action that takes place on Zanzibar. The large map features a beachfront base, protected from assault by a towering wall. In CTF games, the team that spawns on the beach must storm the base, either on foot or on the Warthog and Ghosts parked near the water. There are a lot of hidden mechanisms and positions that, when discovered, can give a team a great advantage. In the main base, for instance, a flag seeker can hit a switch (which amusingly displays Microsoft's famed Blue Screen of Death when tripped) which will open a large door into the flag area. If your teammates are waiting with a Warthog, it's a snap for them to snag the flag and tear back to the beach. The level is perfect for team play, but not too hot for free-for-all games, as our GameStars hands-ons mentioned.

The first new map I got to see was called The Ivory Tower, and it was an impressive two level arena, with a large, sunlit atrium (complete with palm trees!) in the middle. The description mentions that it was a socialite's house that was turned into a public park. For a public park, however, the level had an awful lots of weapons laying around. There were some strategic positions in the level, and most of them were accessible by a lift that boosted you high into the air. From the high spots, you can snipe your enemies using the new Covenant Plasma Sniper Rifle (more on that baby later) or indiscriminately lob your grenades into the main area below. When you're running around the ground floor, the action is fast and furious, as the corridors are long and narrow, ideal for Slayer and Team Slayer games. Small rooms situated along the hallways provide a great spot to ambush a foe who passes by.